'Dark Knight Rises' casts shadow over earlier Batman tales

Christopher Nolan, director of the upcoming film "The Dark Knight Rises," holds up his hands after putting them in cement during a ceremony for him at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. Looking on from left are cast members Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

This coming Friday, July 20, one of the most anticipated movies of 2012, "The Dark Knight Rises" -- the third and final installment in director Christopher Nolan's take on Batman -- opens nationwide.

This movie is set eight years after 2008's "The Dark Knight," in which Batman (Christian Bale) battled the Joker (the late Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for his role) and took the fall for attorney Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhardt) crimes as the villainous Two-Face, to protect Dent's reputation and not undercut the fragile morale of Gotham City's people. Hunted by the police -- including his ally, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman, who returns for "Rises") -- Batman hasn't been seen since.

However, the arrival of Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy) force Batman out of exile. Morgan Freeman returns as Lucius Fox and Michael Caine returns as Alfred the butler.

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Nolan collaborated with his brother, Jonathan Nolan, and Ann Arbor native David Goyer on the story and direction of the trilogy, which began with 2005's "Batman Begins," giving the movie franchise a much-needed shot of adrenaline after 1997's "Batman and Robin." Theirs is a dark, gritty take on the DC Comics character who debuted in 1939.

"I like (Bale). He is a quieter actor and blends so well into the role," said Ferndale native Bill Messner-Loebs, who wrote the syndicated "Batman" daily newspaper strip in the early 1990.

"Other 'Batman' actors had very strong personae and the movies tended to be about them. 'Batman Begins' was more a real movie and more collaborative."

Comic creators have been trying to distance Batman from the campy trappings of the 1960s TV series starring Adam West -- and have done a pretty good job of it. In 1973, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams returned Batman to his 1940s roots, planted by creator Bob Kane: a dark vigilante preying on criminals.

Michigan comic writers pave the way

This paved the way for comic writer Steve Englehart's classic run in 1976. With artists Marshall Rogers and Detroit native Terry Austin, Englehart's work is considered a definitive take on the character. In fact, it served as the blueprint for 1989's "Batman" starring Michael Keaton (Englehart wrote early drafts of the script) and the Emmy Awarding-winning "Batman: The Animated Series" in the 1990s.

"I focused on Batman as a pulp character and Bruce Wayne as an adult -- that darkened him up," said Englehart of California, who introduced girlfriend Silver St. Cloud and pushed the envelope by having Batman sleep with Silver.

"Batman is an adult character -- he is the scourge of criminals -- yet he looked stupid in front of women. He blushed, he stammered," Englehart said. "Having him sleep with Silver had never been done before; it revolutionized comics. This was just a thunderbolt. One of the reasons why my run was definitive was that it did something the readers have never seen before."

The sex scene was only implied.

"In those days, comics were for everyone and we didn't want to offend children and their parents," Englehart explained. "Everyone who was meant to get it did get it. Everyone who was not meant to get it didn't get it."

In 1986, Frank Miller revolutionized the character further, writing "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns" for DC Comics. Taking place in a dystopian society, Batman comes out of retirement for one last fight. Miller's take on Batman introduced an era of "grim and gritty" comics, demonstrating that it's not just a children's medium. It received mainstream attention, the likes of which hadn't been seen with earlier comics.

Miller followed up with 1987's "Batman: Year One," showing Bruce Wayne first becoming Batman, which was the basis for "Batman Begins."

Berkley native kills Robin

Comic artist and illustrator Jim Starlin, a Berkley High School alumnus, had the Joker kill Batman's sidekick, Robin, in 1988. This was the second Robin since the original Robin, Dick Grayson, outgrew the role and became Nightwing.

DC ran a telephone poll to determine if he should live or die. Fans wanted him dead.

"To me, going off to fight crime with a teenage sidekick wearing primary colors while you hide in the shadows is not only a cowardly act, but a criminal act. I always had trouble with (Robin) and I lobbied (for his death) from the beginning," Starlin recalled. "(Superheroes) play life and death games all the time. It only seems fair occasionally that someone doesn't make it through to the end of the story. Norman Mailer once said all true stories end in death. Why shouldn't it work that way in a fantasy situation, too?"

Today, Batman continues his war on crime in several solo titles. He also appears in the "Justice League of America," a team of superheroes consisting of Batman and Superman, among others, written by Clarkston native Geoff Johns, DC's chief creative officer. Johns also wrote the recently released "Batman: Earth One." In it, Johns reimagines Batman's origin, making him an angry vigilante with little interest in heroics, much less protecting the innocent.

"Dual identities and dual motivations are very powerful. We all think we are different people inside than the weak, compromised husk that the camera sees," Messner-Loebs said. "We just need the 'event' to bring it out. Superman, Zorro the Scarlet Pimpernel, all played to that archetype, and the stronger the contrast between the two identities the better. I also think Batman has been lucky. Each time he needed to be reimagined for a new era, some really powerful creator has come along and given him just the right spin. ... No wonder we like him so much."